Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Office of Graduate Education
Preliminary Teaching Assistant Training and General Orientation Calendar & Program
Description
(Full agendas for these events are available by clicking on Domestic Training Schedule & General
Orientation Schedule on our website.
Program Dates for Domestic Students:


Teaching Assistant Training - Friday, August 17, Monday, August 20.
Department Orientation Dates -- Tuesday, Wednesday, August 21, and 22
please check with your department for scheduled activities..
 General Graduate Orientation, (includes International and Exchange
Student Orientation) – Thursday, August 23.
NOTE : All New Teaching Assistants must attend the Sexual Harassment Awareness and
Institute Diversity Sessions regardless of previous Rensselaer orientation programs
attended.
 Microteaching Assignment – Monday, August 20 -- all new TAs.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
The “Microteaching” assignment, for all new Teaching Assistants, will Monday, August
20. You will need to present a five minute “mini-lecture” to your group. Please do not
exceed 5 minutes. A portion of your presentation will be videotaped by your Master TA
and replayed in the classroom for group review. This exercise will give you a sense of
how effective you are as a teacher and of what you like or dislike about your
communication style.
We suggest that you select a topic that you know in depth, preferably of academic
interest. Blackboards and overhead projectors will be available for your use; however,
computer projectors will not be available.
These sessions are a popular and constructive part of the TA training program. Although
you may feel somewhat anxious about your presentation at first, once you’ve completed
it, you will almost certainly (according to our surveys) feel that you have benefited from
the experience.
Travel, Housing, Language Testing, Employment Verification
Rensselaer is located in the city of Troy in New York State. Troy is about twenty
minutes away from the city of Albany. Albany is about one hour from New York City by
plane or 3 hours by bus, train or car.
Housing
ON-CAMPUS: On campus housing is available to matriculated full-time students. If
you have not applied for on-campus housing and would still like to, you can contact Beth
Pasinella in the Residence Life Office at 518-276-6284 or by e-mail at . Residence halls
will open on Monday, August 20, at 12:00 noon. Housing check-in (for those students
with campus housing assigned) will be held between 12:00 noon to 6:00 p.m. every day
from Monday, August 20 through Friday, August 24 at the Houston Field House, please
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plan to arrive during this time. Please notify your department, the Office of Residence
Life, and Dennis Gornic if your arrival on campus is delayed.
OFF-CAMPUS: If you have decided not to live on-campus, you should plan to arrive
earlier to make your own arrangements for housing. An off campus apartment list,
updated biweekly, can be accessed through Rensselaer Union Student Services located on
the Rensselaer homepage at http://www.rpi.edu.
Language Testing
The Graduate School requires all International students and U.S. citizens or Permanent
Residents for whom English is a second language to take a language test. Please
complete the Language Form and return it with your Pre-registration Form – please
submit electronically if possible to the e-mail address below. You will be contacted by
email if a language test is required. Please include your e-mail address on the form if
using a postal service.
Employment Verification - The Reform and Control Act of 1986
As a Teaching Assistant you are considered by the United States government to be an
employee of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1986, a new Employment Verification
System (EVS) was passed by the Congress of the United States and signed by the
President. Under this law, Rensselaer (as an employer) will be required to examine
original documents needed to establish, identify and authorize employment. You must
present the originals to your department; photocopies will be retained for University
records. Therefore, it is necessary that you arrive in Troy with the acceptable
documentation. An “EVS” Documentation Acceptability List is enclosed. The
department must certify that it has reviewed these documents before we can pay your
approved stipend.
__________________________________________________________________
Please complete the enclosed Pre-registration Form and return to: Celia Paquette, Office
of Graduate Education, Walker Lab, Room 4103, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110
8th Street, Troy, NY 12180-3590, as soon as possible. The form can be returned by
electronically if downloaded from the Graduate Education Webpage:
http://www.rpi.edu/dept/grad/orientation/index.html
Training Program, Grad Orientation
Dennis Gornic, Associate Dean
Office of Graduate Education
Celia Paquette, Administrative Assistant
Office of Graduate Education
Telephone: 518-276-6488
FAX
518-276-2256
e-mail
paquec@rpi.edu
Enclosures: Pre-registration Form, Language Test Form, TA Training Program
Schedule.
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